1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to wireless communications. More particularly, it relates to emergency wireless communications, and to emergency text messaging.
2. Background of the Related Art
As location based services become increasingly prevalent and useful, location services also begin to raise concern for user privacy.
A conventional wireless device includes a location privacy setting to either allow or disallow requesting applications to obtain location information from that particular wireless device. The conventional setting is either ALLOW (Location ON) or DISALLOW (Location OFF) all requests for applications to obtain location information.
FIG. 5 demonstrates an illustrative example of the location privacy setting available on a conventional wireless device.
As depicted in FIG. 5, conventional wireless devices typically comprise an “E9-1-1 Only” location privacy setting 400 (permitting the disclosure of location only to E9-1-1 emergency services requesters); or a “Location On” location privacy setting 410 (permitting the disclosure of location to all requesting applications).
A “Location On” type location privacy setting 410 is a conventional opt-in location privacy technique that provides customer authorization for location disclosure to all requesting types. With “Location On” enabled, a relevant Location based application(s) that is/are active on a wireless device are continuously permitted to obtain location information for that particular device, either on board or from a location determining service via the wireless network.
Alternatively, location based applications that are active on or with a wireless device that are not enabled for a “Location On” type location privacy setting 410, are not permitted to obtain location information for that particular device to applications (or to requesting third parties.) Hence, the “Location On” type location privacy setting 410 in an “off” position does not permit location of a wireless device to be disseminated to any requesting application or third party.
By FCC regulation mandate in the United States, the location of an E9-1-1 calling device may be obtained at all times by emergency services, regardless of the relevant wireless device's location privacy setting. Thus, location information may be obtained without acquiring user consent if location information is authorized to be obtained and/or required by applicable law, e.g., location information that is obtained to assist emergency situations, E9-1-1 voice calls, etc.
A conventional “E9-1-1 emergency services Only” type location privacy setting 400 permits location information for that wireless device to be disseminated only to emergency services in response to an E9-1-1 location request. Hence, if the “E9-1-1 emergency services Only” type location privacy setting 400 is enabled, all non-emergency location requests are denied.
A Mobile Positioning Center (MPC) in a traditional E9-1-1 system transmits a location request to a Position Determining Entity (PDE) to locate the position of an E9-1-1 calling device (e.g., a wireless device that has placed an E9-1-1 call). The Position Determining Entity (PDE) retrieves a geographic location of an E9-1-1 calling device via a known location determination technique, e.g., a Global Positioning System, triangulation, etc. Once retrieved, the Position Determining Entity (PDE) provides location coordinates for the E9-1-1 calling device to the Mobile Positioning Center (MPC). The Mobile Positioning Center (MPC) inserts a geographic location for the relevant E9-1-1 calling device into an E9-1-1 database, for later retrieval by an appropriate Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) (i.e. a dispatch office that receives 9-1-1 calls from the public).
However, with conventional systems, location is permitted only for emergency voice calls. Text messages, including a text message to an emergency services recipient, will not trigger permission to obtain location for the emergency-texting wireless device.
A detailed description of an exemplary text messaging emergency 911 system may be found in commonly-owned U.S. Pat. No. 8,185,087, entitled “Emergency 911 Data Messaging”, to Mitchell, Jr., the entirety of which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference.